ACLU: Delay Sessions confirmation vote until 'Muslim ban' is stopped

Source: The Washington Post


By David Weigel January 30 at 9:16 AM

On a call organized by MoveOn.org on Sunday night, ACLU political director Faiz Shakir encouraged activists to demand a slowdown in the Senate until President Trumps executive orders on immigration and refugees were tacked back.

Weve got (attorney general nominee) Jeff Sessions, who were told was involved somehow in the drafting of these executive orders, said Shakir. If they want to press this through, say: You dont get an attorney general until you overturn the Muslim ban.

Currently, the Alabama senators nomination for attorney general is scheduled for a Tuesday morning vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and is expected to be recommended with every Republican voting in favor and every Democrat voting against. In the full Senate, only one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), has suggested that he will vote for Sessions, whose nomination is being scored as a key vote by the National Rifle Association.

But the ACLUs advice came as Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) was calling for Rex Tillerson, Trumps nominee for secretary of state, to answer questions on the executive orders. Votes on Trump nominees, which had been attracting the support of dozens of Democrats, have become more politically toxic for senators as the partys restive base demands more opposition.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/01/30/aclu-delay-sessions-confirmation-vote-until-muslim-ban-is-stopped/?utm_term=.f439150afb5e